Weak and silent, young Sunjata is unable to walk, unable even to pull a bow. But a prophesy foretold that his mother would bear a son who will become the mansa of all the Mande people--the greatest king ever to rule. Sunjata sets out to find the strength and courage to fulfill his birthright and to overcome the plotting of a rival queen and the sorcery of the terrible tyrant Sumanguru. Are the armies and magic that stand against him undefeatable? Can Sunjata become the leader his people need?